A
Basic Primer of Orthodox Catholicism and its difference with the Roman
Jurisdiction of the
Catholic Church

Orthodoxy and Twenty-first Century Ideology:

Through most of the twentieth century, the tragedy of the Orthodox Church has
been to live, at least for a large portion of the faithful, under the new
political framework of atheistic totalitarianism. Communism under the iron hand
of the former Soviet Union was the latest in a long series of misfortunes –
Arabic, Seljuk, Crusader, Mongol, Ottoman – with which it has had to cope in the
last millennium and a half. As St. Paul stated: “it was given to us not only
to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him” (Phil.
1:29).
There was one significant difference between the communist boot and the
oppressive regimes of the past: the previous non-Christian political regimes
under which the Church was forced to live were rarely deliberately
anti-Christian. Plainly put, there has never been an exact precedent for the
communist catastrophe. None of the past regimes were ever as insistent as
communism in its belief that religion must be tolerated. According to Vladimir
Lenin, a communist regime cannot remain neutral on the question of religion but
must show itself to be merciless towards it. There was no place for the Church
in Lenin’s classless society.

The result of this militant atheism has been to transform the Church into a
persecuted and martyred Church. Thousands of bishops, monks, clergy and faithful
died as martyrs for Christ, both in Russia and in the other communist nations.
Their numbers may very well exceed the number of Christians who perished during
the days of the Roman Empire. What was just as frightening for the Church was
communism’s indirect, but systematic, strangulation policy. In the Soviet Union,
along with the methodical closing, desecration and destruction of churches,
ecclesiastical authorities were not allowed to carry on any charitable or social
work. Nor could the Church own any property. What few places of worship that
remained were legally viewed as state property which the government permitted
the Church to use. But even more devastating was the fact that the Church was
not permitted to carry on educational or instructional activity of any kind.
Outside of sermons during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy it could not
instruct the faithful or its youth.

The
Dispersion of Orthodoxy:

In modern historical Orthodoxy, one of the most striking developments has been
the dispersion of Orthodox Christians to the West. Immigration from both Greece
and the Middle East in the last hundred years has created a large Orthodox
diaspora in Western Europe, North and South America, and Australia. Also, the
Bolshevik Revolution forced thousands of Russian exiles to the West. All of this
has resulted in the traditional frontiers of Orthodoxy to be profoundly
modified. Millions of Orthodox are no longer “eastern” since they live
permanently in their newly adopted countries in the West. Virtually all of the
Orthodox nationalities – Greek, Arab, Russian, Serbian, Albanian, Ukrainian,
Romanian, and Bulgarian – are represented here in the United States. The Greek
Archdiocese of America is the largest of this group. The Archdiocese is under
the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.

1768 historically marks the arrival of the first Greek Orthodox to the New
World. They founded the Greek colony of New Smyrna about forty miles south of
St. Augustine, Florida. A small group of New Orleans Greek merchants built the
first church in 1864. The Greek Archdiocese of North and South America itself
was officially incorporated in New York in 1921. The second largest group in the
United States is the Russian Orthodox. One of the first Russian Orthodox Church
communities in North America was in Alaska, where a number of Russian Orthodox
missionaries had labored. In 1794, the Russian Orthodox Church established its
first mission in North America, at Kodiak Island in southeastern Alaska. In
1799, the Russian Orthodox Church appointed the first American Bishop.

By 1808 the capital was moved to Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka),
where the Cathedral of St. Michael was erected in 1848. The “Golden Age” of the
Orthodox Church in Alaska ended with the sale of Alaska
to the United States in 1867.

The story
of the many remarkable priests and monks who served the Church in Alaska,
recounted in a number of valuable journals in the Church Archives, is one of
incredible achievements against often overwhelming odds. They contended daily
with bitter cold and deep snows, traveling by dogsled to attend their widely
dispersed parishes. The constant lack of essential resources led them to sell
candles and books, and to sometimes sacrifice their own salaries to meet parish
expenses. Despite the sale of Alaska
to the United States, and the incursion of other sectarian groups, Catholic and
Protestant, the Russian Orthodox priests continued their mission, leaving an
indelible mark upon the culture of the Native Alaskans, visible even today.

It was through the work of +Aftimios Ofiesh, a Russian Orthodox Archbishop of
Brooklyn, NY, that the ground work was laid for the establishment of an American
Orthodox Catholic Church, after receiving this charge in 1927 through an act of
the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America (under the
jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and it's Patriarch, St. Tikhon).

After much infighting among various
Orthodox groups and at least one failure (The
Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America,
with The American Orthodox Catholic Church as its "short name") in 1934,
two separate churches emerged, the first being "The Holy Eastern Orthodox
Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America" (THEOCACNA). This group has in
many ways wandered away from “TRUE” Orthodox teachings. The second group is the
American Orthodox Church/North American Orthodox Church.

In 1951, by Archbishop Michael of the Greek Archdiocese, a Toma (decree), was
issued granting the American Orthodox Church/North
American Orthodox Church autocephalous and autonomous
standing. This grant was reinforced by a second Toma, issued in 1976 by
Metropolitan Archbishop Ireney of the Orthodox Church in America. Today, the American Orthodox Church is governed by a Synod of Bishops
headed by Metropolitan Archbishop +Joseph Thaddeus who strongly holds, as proven
by his actions, to preserve and defend the faith, especially the Seals Of The
Confessional because of the actions brought on by the numerous scandals in the
Roman Jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the later part of the 21st and
beginning 22nd Centuries.

The
Orthodox Christians View of Non-Christian Religions:

There is ongoing and numerous contacts among people of different faiths in
today’s pluralistic society. Difficulties arise as each religion holds to its
own claim to “truth”. A major challenge for Orthodox Christians is to articulate
theologically correct approaches to people of other religious beliefs.

The Orthodox attitude toward non-Christian religions begins with the Christian
understanding of God. The emphasis is on the mystery of divine reality, the
essence of God, which exceeds human capabilities. That God’s essence is
incomprehensible and inaccessible to the human mind, and that it is beyond all
creaturely approach, is a basic truth of Orthodox Christianity.

While the essence of God remains beyond our human understanding, God reveals
Himself through His Glory. God’s glory (doxa, kaboth, shekhina) is
revealed to mankind in their true intimate relation as an, end and fulfillment
of the original creation of man. This revealed glory of God – His energies –
penetrates all of creation and is the starting point for Christian life and
hope, and our relationship to God.

There are three points of view that Christians have adopted with regard to
non-Christian religions. The first view is that non-Christians will be damned
because there is “no salvation” outside the visible body of Christ, the Church.
The second view is that the non-Christian may be saved in spite of the religion
he/she practices, but only through the mercy of God. Lastly, the third view is
that non-Christians may be saved by means of the very religion they practice,
for non-Christian religions may also contain saving truths. These three views
are in parallel with the three approaches of exclusivism, inclusivism, and
cultural pluralism.

The claim of exclusivism has been rejected by many Orthodox scholars as
untenable. Exclusiveness is rejected as a matter of truth, not in the interest
of fostering world peace or facilitating missionary endeavors. The majority of
Orthodox scholars would be or are open to inclusivism. As to cultural pluralism,
there is a small percentage of Orthodox scholars who would espouse it but with
qualifications. Relativism and syncretism are out. The view that Christianity is
just one of the world religions that offers the blessing of salvation is
unacceptable to the Orthodox Church. The focus of the Orthodox Church is on the
Spirit of God, the Paraclete, who leads us “Into all the truth,” where in Christ
all become one.

The issue of Christian Truth is of the utmost importance in the Orthodox view
toward
other denominations which were brought about from the Roman Jurisdiction of the
Catholic Church and other religions. It was Pontius Pilate who asked “What is Truth?” (John 18:38).
He asked Jesus this question who was standing before him. Jesus remained
silent. Orthodox Christians interpret this silence as Jesus’ reply that the
Truth was standing before him - Christ is the Truth.

In Orthodoxy there is a fusion between the truth claim of Christianity and a
mandate for tolerance. One can not be a Christian without embracing tolerance as
a concomitant of Christian love, though this tolerance does not mean acceptance
of that which violates the teachings of Holy Scripture and the ancient Seven
Ecumenical Councils or breaking of the Seals of the Confessional which are a
part of Holy Scripture in allegorical form but reinforces that which is required
of all true Christians through the actions of Repenance by going to the priest
for confession, doing penance, meditation, contemplation and prayer before
seeking the soul cleansing Holy Mysteries of the Eucharistic celebration.

The ultimate salvation of all people, which includes non-Christians, is
dependant on the great goodness and mercy of the Omniscient and Omnipotent God
who desires the salvation of all people. Those who live in faith and virtue,
though outside the Church, receive God’s loving grace and salvation. For, as St.
Paul reminds us, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” (Rom. 11:33)